For autodidact students of Levantine Arabic, the first word is "the," and in Arabic "the" is not a separate word at all. It is a prefix, ال (il-), written joined to the front of its noun: بيت (bēt) is "a house" or "house," البيت (il-bēt) is "the house"; باب (bāb) is "door," الباب (il-bāb) is "the door." The two letters ا and ل never change for gender or number: الرجال (ir-rijjāl), "the man"; البنت (il-bint), "the girl"; البنات (il-banāt), "the girls."
What does change is the sound. Before about half the consonants of the alphabet, the l of the article is swallowed by the first consonant of the noun, which is then pronounced double. These are the "sun letters," named after الشمس (iš-šams), "the sun," which is said iš-šams and never il-šams. The other consonants are the "moon letters," named after القمر (il-ʔamar), "the moon," where the l is heard. The spelling does not change: the Arabic script always writes ال, whatever is said.
The vowel of the article is short and weak. At the start of a sentence, or after a word ending in a consonant, it is heard as il-: il-bēt, il-bāb. After a word that ends in a vowel it drops, and only the l (or the doubled sun letter) is left: اشربي الشاي is išrabi š-šāy, "drink the tea"; راحوا الصبح is rāḥu ṣ-ṣubḥ, "they went in the morning." Before a word that begins with two consonants, when the l cannot lean on a vowel before it, a helping vowel follows the l instead: البيت الكبير is il-bēt le-kbīr, "the big house." Many Beirutis drop the i even at the start of a sentence and say l-bēt.
Levantine uses "the" more than English does. Things spoken of in general take the article: بحب القهوة (bḥibb il-ʔahwe) is "I like coffee," literally "I like the coffee." And there is no word for "a": a noun without ال is indefinite, so بيت is "a house" and في جنينة (fī jnēne) is "there is a garden."
Script note: ال is two letters, alif ا and lam ل. Alif does not join to the letter after it, so ال is written as a little unit of its own and lam then joins the noun: ال + بيت = البيت. When the noun itself begins with lam, two lams stand side by side: ال + ليل = الليل (il-lēl), "the night." The prepositions ب (b-, "in, at, with") and ل (l-, "to, for") are written joined to the article: بالبيت (bil-bēt), "at home, in the house."
Key Takeaways: - ال (il-): "the." A prefix joined to its noun, the same for every gender and number - Sun letters (t, d, r, z, s, š, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, ẓ, l, n, and in Syria and Lebanon usually j): the l is assimilated and the consonant doubles: الشمس (iš-šams), الدكانة (id-dikkāne), الرجال (ir-rijjāl) - Moon letters (the rest): the l is heard: البيت (il-bēt), الباب (il-bāb), الخبز (il-khibz), القهوة (il-ʔahwe) - The spelling is always ال; only the pronunciation changes - After a vowel, the i of il- drops: اشربي الشاي (išrabi š-šāy) - General statements take the article: بحب القهوة (bḥibb il-ʔahwe), "I like coffee" - There is no "a": بيت (bēt), "a house" - An adjective after a definite noun takes the article too: البيت الكبير (il-bēt le-kbīr), "the big house" - "This" fuses with the article: هالبيت (hal-bēt), "this house"
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
1.1a البيت the-house كبير big
1.1b il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M kbīr (kbeer) big-M.SG
1.2a الباب the-door مسكر closed
1.2b il-bāb (il-BAAB) the-door.M msakkar (m-SAK-kar) closed-M.SG
1.3a الشمس the-sun حامية hot
1.3b iš-šams (ish-SHAMS) the-sun.F ḥāmye (HAAM-yeh) hot-F.SG
1.4a القهوة the-coffee طيبة tasty
1.4b il-ʔahwe (il-AH-weh) the-coffee.F ṭayybe (TAYY-beh) tasty-F.SG
1.5a جبت I-brought الخبز the-bread
1.5b jibt (zhibt) bring-PAST.1SG il-khibz (il-KHIBZ) the-bread
1.6a الولد the-boy بالمدرسة at-the-school
1.6b il-walad (il-WA-lad) the-boy bil-madrase (bil-MAD-ra-seh) at-the-school.F
1.7a اشتريت I-bought الحليب the-milk من from الدكانة the-shop
1.7b štarēt (shta-RAYT) buy-PAST.1SG il-ḥalīb (il-ha-LEEB) the-milk min (min) from id-dikkāne (id-dik-KAA-neh) the-shop.F
1.8a البنت the-girl فتحت opened الشباك the-window
1.8b il-bint (il-BINT) the-girl fatḥet (FAT-het) open-PAST.3F.SG iš-šibbāk (ish-shib-BAAK) the-window
1.9a الكتاب the-book اللي that اشتريتو I-bought-it منيح good
1.9b il-ktāb (il-KTAAB) the-book illi (IL-li) REL štarēto (shta-RAY-to) buy-PAST.1SG-it.M mnīḥ (mneeh) good-M.SG
1.10a في there-is واحد someone عم PROG يدق knocking عالباب on-the-door
1.10b fī (fee) there-is wāḥed (WAA-hed) one.M ʿam (ʿam) PROG ydiʔʔ (y-DI') knock-PRES.3M.SG ʿal-bāb (ʿal-BAAB) on-the-door
1.11a هالرجال this-the-man جارنا our-neighbour
1.11b har-rijjāl (har-rij-JAAL) this-the-man jārna (ZHAAR-na) neighbour-our
1.12a المي the-water مقطوعة cut-off اليوم today
1.12b il-mayy (il-MAYY) the-water.F maʔṭūʿa (ma'-TOO-ʿa) cut-off-F.SG l-yōm (l-YOHM) the-day
1.13a بحب I-like القهوة the-coffee بلا without سكر sugar
1.13b bḥibb (b-HIBB) like-PRES.1SG il-ʔahwe (il-AH-weh) the-coffee.F bala (BA-la) without sukkar (SUK-kar) sugar
1.14a البيت the-house الكبير the-big تبع of جدي my-grandfather فيه in-it جنينة garden
1.14b il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M le-kbīr (le-KBEER) the-big-M.SG tabaʿ (TA-baʿ) of.POSS jiddi (ZHID-di) grandfather-my fī (fee) in-it.M jnēne (ZHNAY-neh) garden.F
1.15a البنات the-girls راحوا went عالسوق to-the-market وجابوا and-brought الخضرة the-vegetables والفواكه and-the-fruit
1.15b il-banāt (il-ba-NAAT) the-girls.PL rāḥu (RAA-hu) go-PAST.3PL ʿas-sūʔ (ʿas-SOO') to-the-market w-jābu (w-ZHAA-bu) and-bring-PAST.3PL l-khuḍra (l-KHUD-ra) the-vegetables.COLL w-il-fawāke (wil-fa-WAA-keh) and-the-fruit.PL
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
1.1 البيت كبير. (il-bēt kbīr) "The house is big." 1.2 الباب مسكر. (il-bāb msakkar) "The door is closed." 1.3 الشمس حامية. (iš-šams ḥāmye) "The sun is hot." 1.4 القهوة طيبة. (il-ʔahwe ṭayybe) "The coffee is good." 1.5 جبت الخبز. (jibt il-khibz) "I brought the bread." 1.6 الولد بالمدرسة. (il-walad bil-madrase) "The boy is at school." 1.7 اشتريت الحليب من الدكانة. (štarēt il-ḥalīb min id-dikkāne) "I bought the milk at the shop." 1.8 البنت فتحت الشباك. (il-bint fatḥet iš-šibbāk) "The girl opened the window." 1.9 الكتاب اللي اشتريتو منيح. (il-ktāb illi štarēto mnīḥ) "The book I bought is good." 1.10 في واحد عم يدق عالباب. (fī wāḥed ʿam ydiʔʔ ʿal-bāb) "Someone is knocking at the door." 1.11 هالرجال جارنا. (har-rijjāl jārna) "This man is our neighbour." 1.12 المي مقطوعة اليوم. (il-mayy maʔṭūʿa l-yōm) "The water is cut off today." 1.13 بحب القهوة بلا سكر. (bḥibb il-ʔahwe bala sukkar) "I like coffee without sugar." 1.14 البيت الكبير تبع جدي فيه جنينة. (il-bēt le-kbīr tabaʿ jiddi fī jnēne) "My grandfather's big house has a garden." 1.15 البنات راحوا عالسوق وجابوا الخضرة والفواكه. (il-banāt rāḥu ʿas-sūʔ w-jābu l-khuḍra w-il-fawāke) "The girls went to the market and brought back vegetables and fruit."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
1.1 البيت كبير. 1.2 الباب مسكر. 1.3 الشمس حامية. 1.4 القهوة طيبة. 1.5 جبت الخبز. 1.6 الولد بالمدرسة. 1.7 اشتريت الحليب من الدكانة. 1.8 البنت فتحت الشباك. 1.9 الكتاب اللي اشتريتو منيح. 1.10 في واحد عم يدق عالباب. 1.11 هالرجال جارنا. 1.12 المي مقطوعة اليوم. 1.13 بحب القهوة بلا سكر. 1.14 البيت الكبير تبع جدي فيه جنينة. 1.15 البنات راحوا عالسوق وجابوا الخضرة والفواكه.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for ال (il-), "the."
One form for everything. ال does not change for masculine or feminine, singular or plural: الباب (il-bāb, the door, M), الشمس (iš-šams, the sun, F), البنات (il-banāt, the girls, PL). It is always written joined to its word, never as a separate word.
Sun letters and moon letters. The pronunciation of the l depends on the first consonant of the noun. - Sun letters: ت t, د d, ر r, ز z, س s, ش š, ص ṣ, ض ḍ, ط ṭ, ل l, ن n, and ث ذ ظ in the words that keep them from Standard Arabic. The l becomes that consonant and the consonant is doubled: الدكانة (id-dikkāne), الشمس (iš-šams), الرجال (ir-rijjāl), السوق (is-sūʔ), الشباك (iš-šibbāk), النور (in-nūr), الليل (il-lēl). - Moon letters: all the others, among them ب b, ح ḥ, خ kh, ع ʿ, غ gh, ف f, ق ʔ, ك k, م m, و w, ي y, and the hamza. The l is heard: البيت (il-bēt), الحليب (il-ḥalīb), الخبز (il-khibz), القهوة (il-ʔahwe), الكتاب (il-ktāb), المي (il-mayy), الولد (il-walad), اليوم (il-yōm). - ج j: in Syria and Lebanon, where it is pronounced like the s of "pleasure," it is usually a sun letter (ij-jāmʿa, "the university"); in Jordan and Palestine, where many say it like the j of "jam," it is often a moon letter (il-jāmʿa). This lesson avoids putting the article before it.
il-, l- and le-. At the start of a sentence, or after a word ending in a consonant, the article is il-: il-bēt, min id-dikkāne. After a word ending in a vowel it loses its i: اليوم after مقطوعة is maʔṭūʿa l-yōm (1.12); الخضرة after جابوا is jābu l-khuḍra (1.15). Levantine has lost many short vowels, and some words begin with two consonants: كبير (kbīr), كتاب (ktāb). After a consonant, an article before such a word takes its helping vowel after the l: البيت الكبير, il-bēt le-kbīr (1.14). This course's transliteration writes what is said; the Arabic script always writes ال.
Prepositions that join the article. Three short prepositions fuse with ال in speech, and two of them in writing as well. - ب (b-), "in, at, with": ب + المدرسة = بالمدرسة (bil-madrase), "at school" (1.6). - ل (l-), "to, for": the alif of the article is dropped and two lams meet: ل + البيت = للبيت (lal-bēt or lil-bēt), "to the house." - على (ʿala), "on, to," loses its last syllable and is written joined: على + الباب = عالباب (ʿal-bāb), "on the door" (1.10); على + السوق = عالسوق (ʿas-sūʔ), "to the market" (1.15). The sun letter still swallows the l. Both spellings, على الباب and عالباب, are common; this course writes the joined form, as it is said. - In the same way و (w-), "and," joins the article: والفواكه (w-il-fawāke), "and the fruit" (1.15).
No copula in the present. "The house is big" is simply البيت كبير (il-bēt kbīr): a definite noun followed by an adjective without the article makes a sentence (1.1–1.4). If the adjective also takes the article, the result is a phrase, not a sentence: البيت الكبير (il-bēt le-kbīr) is "the big house" (1.14). This difference, article or no article on the adjective, is the whole difference between "the house is big" and "the big house."
Agreement. An adjective agrees with its noun in gender: البيت (M) كبير, الباب (M) مسكر, الشمس (F) حامية, القهوة (F) طيبة. Feminine adjectives usually end in ة, pronounced -e after most consonants and -a after the throat and emphatic sounds: ṭayybe, ḥāmye, but maʔṭūʿa.
Generic use. Where English uses no article for things in general ("I like coffee"), Levantine uses ال: بحب القهوة (1.13). Mass nouns and plurals in general statements are definite in Levantine Arabic.
No word for "a." Levantine has no indefinite article: a noun without ال is indefinite. فيه جنينة (fī jnēne), "it has a garden" (1.14). "Someone, a certain person" is واحد (wāḥed), "one": في واحد عم يدق عالباب, "someone is knocking at the door" (1.10).
Demonstratives and the article. "This man" can be said in full, هاد الرجال (hād ir-rijjāl), "this the-man," with the noun keeping its article. Far more often in speech, the short demonstrative ها (ha-) is fused with the article and written as one word: هالرجال (har-rijjāl), "this man" (1.11); هالبيت (hal-bēt), "this house." ها never changes for gender or number, and the l of the article still follows the sun-letter rule: har-rijjāl, haš-šams, but hal-bēt.
Possession. A definite thing owned by someone is joined with تبع (tabaʿ), "of, belonging to": البيت الكبير تبع جدي (1.14). The owned noun keeps its article. With a pronoun ending, as in جدي (jiddi, my grandfather) or جارنا (jārna, our neighbour), the noun is already definite and never takes ال: never \*الجارنا.
Relative clauses. After a definite noun, "that, which, who" is اللي (illi): الكتاب اللي اشتريتو (1.9). اللي never changes, and itself contains the old article. In اشتريتو (štarēto), "I bought it," the ending -o, "it, him," is written with و, as Levantine speakers usually write it.
Common Mistakes: - Saying il-šams or il-dikkāne. Before a sun letter the l is not pronounced: iš-šams, id-dikkāne. - Writing the assimilation. The script always writes ال: الشمس, never \*اششمس. - Dropping the article in general statements because English does: \*بحب قهوة for "I like coffee." Say بحب القهوة. - Putting the article on the adjective when you mean a sentence: البيت الكبير is "the big house," not "the house is big." - Putting ال on a noun that has a pronoun ending: جارنا, not \*الجارنا. - Looking for a word for "a." There is none: بيت is "a house." - Writing ها and the article as two words. هالبيت is one word: ها + ال + بيت.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The article is in the name of the region. الشام (iš-šām) is the old name both of Damascus and of the whole of Greater Syria, the land the language is spoken in, and the name of the language, شامي (šāmi), "of al-Sham," comes from it. Its speakers also call it العامية (il-ʿāmmiyye), "the colloquial," or simply "Arabic," and they name it by country: لبناني (libnāni), "Lebanese," سوري (sūri), "Syrian," فلسطيني (filasṭīni), "Palestinian," أردني (ʔurduni), "Jordanian."
Many of the commonest everyday formulas contain the article. Morning greetings are صباح الخير (ṣabāḥ il-khēr), "morning of the good," answered صباح النور (ṣabāḥ in-nūr), "morning of the light." To someone at work, or to anyone who has done you a service, you say يعطيك العافية (yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye), "may He give you strength." الحمد لله (il-ḥamdilla), "praise be to God," answers "how are you?" "Today" is اليوم (il-yōm), literally "the day." Several of these appear in the dialogue below.
Levantine Arabic and Standard Arabic live side by side. Children speak Levantine at home and learn Standard Arabic at school; the news, the Friday sermon and official documents are in Standard Arabic; the family, the market, the café, the songs of Fairuz and Wadih El Safi, and the soap operas of Damascus and Beirut are in Levantine. In Lebanon, French and English are mixed into everyday speech: Beirutis greet each other with hi, kīfak, ça va? The article is one point where the two Arabics agree: both write ال and both assimilate it before the sun letters.
Levantine varies by country, by town and village, and by community. The urban speech of Damascus, Beirut, Jerusalem and Amman says ʔ for the letter ق: القهوة is il-ʔahwe. Many villages in Palestine say k (il-kahwe), Bedouin and much rural speech in Jordan and Palestine says g (il-gahwa), and the Druze keep the q of Standard Arabic. "This" is هاد (hād) in Damascus and Palestine but هيدا (hayda) in Beirut. This course uses the urban forms of Damascus and Beirut and notes other forms where they matter.
On phones and social media, Levantine is written in Arabic letters and also in Latin letters, with numerals for sounds that English spelling lacks (2 for ء and the urban ق, 3 for ع, 7 for ح): 2ahwe, 3al bab. In the 1960s the Lebanese poet Said Akl designed a Latin alphabet for Lebanese and campaigned for it, without success. Neither writing is standardised; learning the Arabic script lets you read signs, menus, song lyrics and the proverbs of Section F.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
أمثال شامية (Proverbs of the Levant) — three traditional sayings
Levantine Arabic has little written literature of its own: its poets and novelists have mostly written in Standard Arabic, and its great art is song and the spoken word. Its oldest and best-known texts are its proverbs, which every speaker knows and which have been collected since the nineteenth century; the classic scholarly collection is Anis Frayha's Modern Lebanese Proverbs, gathered at Ras al-Matn and published by the American University of Beirut in 1953. The three below are current in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan; their wording follows the form in which they are printed in Lebanese and Syrian collections and in the press, where spellings vary.
العين بصيرة والإيد قصيرة الدم ما بيصير مي اللي بياكل العصي مش متل اللي بيعدها
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a العين the-eye بصيرة seeing والإيد and-the-hand قصيرة short
F.1b il-ʿēn (il-ʿAYN) the-eye.F baṣīra (ba-SEE-ra) seeing-F.SG w-il-ʔīd (wil-EED) and-the-hand.F ʔaṣīra (a-SEE-ra) short-F.SG
F.2a الدم the-blood ما not بيصير becomes مي water
F.2b id-damm (id-DAMM) the-blood ma (ma) NEG biṣīr (bi-SEER) become-PRES.3M.SG mayy (mayy) water
F.3a اللي who بياكل eats العصي the-sticks مش not متل like اللي who بيعدها counts-them
F.3b illi (IL-li) REL byākol (BYAA-kol) eat-PRES.3M.SG il-ʿiṣi (il-ʿI-si) the-sticks.PL miš (mish) NEG mitl (mitl) like illi (IL-li) REL biʿiddha (bi-ʿID-ha) count-PRES.3M.SG-them.F
F-B: Original and Translation
العين بصيرة والإيد قصيرة / الدم ما بيصير مي / اللي بياكل العصي مش متل اللي بيعدها
"The eye can see, but the hand is short. / Blood does not turn into water. / The one who takes the beating is not like the one who counts the blows." (Translation: Latinum Institute.) The first is said when you would gladly help, or buy, but cannot; the second, that family is family whatever happens; the third, that the one who suffers a thing knows it as the onlooker never can.
F-C: Original
العين بصيرة والإيد قصيرة الدم ما بيصير مي اللي بياكل العصي مش متل اللي بيعدها
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Four articles stand in these three proverbs, with the relative اللي twice beside them, and each shows one of the lesson's rules. العين (il-ʿēn) begins with the moon letter ع, so the l is heard. والإيد (w-il-ʔīd) shows و joined to the article, and the l heard before the hamza of إيد. الدم (id-damm) begins with the sun letter د: the l disappears and the d is doubled. العصي (il-ʿiṣi), "the sticks," is again a moon-letter word. And اللي (illi), twice in the third proverb, is the relative pronoun built on the old article: "the one who."
The first proverb is two sentences of exactly the pattern of 1.1–1.4: a definite noun and an adjective without the article. العين بصيرة is "the eye is seeing," not "the seeing eye." The rhyme of بصيرة and قصيرة carries the saying, and both adjectives are feminine because عين and إيد, like most parts of the body that come in pairs, are feminine. The form here, والإيد, is the Levantine one; the same proverb is said all over the Arab world, and in Standard Arabic it is written واليد.
The second proverb shows the article used generically, as in 1.13: الدم is not "the blood" of any one person but blood as such, and English says simply "blood." Note that مي (mayy), "water," has no article here: the blood does not become the water, but water, something else.
In the third, اللي stands without a noun before it and means "the one who." بياكل (byākol), "eats," and بيعدها (biʿiddha), "counts them," carry the prefix ب of the Levantine present, which this course will meet again and again; "to eat the sticks," أكل العصي, is the everyday idiom for taking a beating. The ending -ha, "them," refers to العصي: a plural of things is treated as feminine singular, as in Standard Arabic.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Reem buys bread and manakish from the neighbourhood baker, Abu Samir, early in the morning. She calls him عمو (ʿammo), "uncle," and he calls her بنتي (binti), "my daughter," as Levantine speakers address their elders and juniors. Every line uses the article.
1.16a ريم Reem صباح morning الخير the-good يا O عمو uncle
1.16b rīm (reem) Reem ṣabāḥ (sa-BAAH) morning il-khēr (il-KHAYR) the-good ya (ya) VOC ʿammo (ʿAM-mo) uncle
1.17a أبو father-of سمير Samir صباح morning النور the-light يا O بنتي my-daughter
1.17b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir ṣabāḥ (sa-BAAH) morning in-nūr (in-NOOR) the-light ya (ya) VOC binti (BIN-ti) daughter-my
1.18a ريم Reem الخبز the-bread طازة fresh اليوم today
1.18b rīm (reem) Reem il-khibz (il-KHIBZ) the-bread ṭāza (TAA-za) fresh l-yōm (l-YOHM) the-day
1.19a أبو father-of سمير Samir الخبز the-bread طالع coming-out هلق now من from الفرن the-oven
1.19b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir il-khibz (il-KHIBZ) the-bread ṭāleʿ (TAA-leʿ) coming-out-M.SG hallaʔ (HAL-la') now min (min) from il-furn (il-FURN) the-oven
1.20a ريم Reem قديش how-much الربطة the-bundle
1.20b rīm (reem) Reem ʔaddēš (ad-DAYSH) how-much ir-rabṭa (ir-RAB-ta) the-bundle.F
1.21a أبو father-of سمير Samir الربطة the-bundle بنفس at-same السعر the-price
1.21b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir ir-rabṭa (ir-RAB-ta) the-bundle.F b-nafs (b-NAFS) at-same is-siʿr (is-SIʿR) the-price
1.22a ريم Reem عطيني give-me ربطتين two-bundles من of الخبز the-bread الأسمر the-brown
1.22b rīm (reem) Reem ʿṭīni (ʿTEE-ni) give-IMP.2SG-me rabṭtēn (rabt-TAYN) bundle-DU min (min) of il-khibz (il-KHIBZ) the-bread il-ʔasmar (il-AS-mar) the-brown-M.SG
1.23a أبو father-of سمير Samir بدك you-want كمان also من of المناقيش the-manakish
1.23b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir baddek (BAD-dek) want-2F.SG kamān (ka-MAAN) also min (min) of il-manāʔīš (il-ma-naa-EESH) the-manakish.PL
1.24a ريم Reem إيه yes تنتين two بالزعتر with-the-thyme ووحدة and-one بالكشك with-the-kishk
1.24b rīm (reem) Reem ʔē (ay) yes tintēn (tin-TAYN) two-F biz-zaʿtar (biz-ZAʿ-tar) with-the-thyme w-waḥde (w-WAH-deh) and-one-F bil-kišk (bil-KISHK) with-the-kishk
1.25a أبو father-of سمير Samir المناقيش the-manakish بدها need عشر ten دقايق minutes
1.25b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir il-manāʔīš (il-ma-naa-EESH) the-manakish.PL badda (BAD-da) want-3F.SG ʿašr (ʿASHR) ten daʔāyeʔ (da-AA-ye') minutes.PL
1.26a ريم Reem ماشي fine بستنى I-wait هون here عالكرسي on-the-chair
1.26b rīm (reem) Reem māši (MAA-shi) fine bistanna (bis-TAN-na) wait-PRES.1SG hōn (hohn) here ʿal-kursi (ʿal-KUR-si) on-the-chair
1.27a أبو father-of سمير Samir تفضلي please اشربي drink الشاي the-tea
1.27b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir tfaḍḍali (t-FAD-da-li) please-IMP.2F.SG išrabi (ISH-ra-bi) drink-IMP.2F.SG š-šāy (sh-SHAAY) the-tea
1.28a ريم Reem قديش how-much الحساب the-bill
1.28b rīm (reem) Reem ʔaddēš (ad-DAYSH) how-much il-ḥsāb (il-HSAAB) the-bill
1.29a أبو father-of سمير Samir المناقيش the-manakish علي on-me اليوم today
1.29b ʔabu (A-bu) father-of samīr (sa-MEER) Samir il-manāʔīš (il-ma-naa-EESH) the-manakish.PL ʿalayyi (ʿa-LAY-yi) on-me l-yōm (l-YOHM) the-day
1.30a ريم Reem الله God يخليك keep-you يا O عمو uncle يعطيك may-he-give-you العافية the-strength
1.30b rīm (reem) Reem ʔaḷḷa (AL-la) God ykhallīk (y-khal-LEEK) keep-PRES.3M.SG-you ya (ya) VOC ʿammo (ʿAM-mo) uncle yaʿṭīk (yaʿ-TEEK) give-PRES.3M.SG-you il-ʿāfye (il-ʿAAF-yeh) the-strength.F
1.16 ريم: صباح الخير يا عمو. (rīm: ṣabāḥ il-khēr ya ʿammo) "Reem: Good morning, uncle." 1.17 أبو سمير: صباح النور يا بنتي. (ʔabu samīr: ṣabāḥ in-nūr ya binti) "Abu Samir: Good morning to you, my girl." 1.18 ريم: الخبز طازة اليوم؟ (rīm: il-khibz ṭāza l-yōm?) "Reem: Is the bread fresh today?" 1.19 أبو سمير: الخبز طالع هلق من الفرن. (ʔabu samīr: il-khibz ṭāleʿ hallaʔ min il-furn) "Abu Samir: The bread's just this minute come out of the oven." 1.20 ريم: قديش الربطة؟ (rīm: ʔaddēš ir-rabṭa?) "Reem: How much is a bundle?" 1.21 أبو سمير: الربطة بنفس السعر. (ʔabu samīr: ir-rabṭa b-nafs is-siʿr) "Abu Samir: A bundle's the same price as before." 1.22 ريم: عطيني ربطتين من الخبز الأسمر. (rīm: ʿṭīni rabṭtēn min il-khibz il-ʔasmar) "Reem: Give me two bundles of the brown bread." 1.23 أبو سمير: بدك كمان من المناقيش؟ (ʔabu samīr: baddek kamān min il-manāʔīš?) "Abu Samir: Would you like some manakish too?" 1.24 ريم: إيه، تنتين بالزعتر ووحدة بالكشك. (rīm: ʔē, tintēn biz-zaʿtar w-waḥde bil-kišk) "Reem: Yes, two with thyme and one with kishk." 1.25 أبو سمير: المناقيش بدها عشر دقايق. (ʔabu samīr: il-manāʔīš badda ʿašr daʔāyeʔ) "Abu Samir: The manakish will take ten minutes." 1.26 ريم: ماشي، بستنى هون عالكرسي. (rīm: māši, bistanna hōn ʿal-kursi) "Reem: Fine, I'll wait here on the chair." 1.27 أبو سمير: تفضلي، اشربي الشاي. (ʔabu samīr: tfaḍḍali, išrabi š-šāy) "Abu Samir: Here you are, have some tea." 1.28 ريم: قديش الحساب؟ (rīm: ʔaddēš il-ḥsāb?) "Reem: How much do I owe you?" 1.29 أبو سمير: المناقيش علي اليوم. (ʔabu samīr: il-manāʔīš ʿalayyi l-yōm) "Abu Samir: The manakish are on me today." 1.30 ريم: الله يخليك يا عمو، يعطيك العافية. (rīm: ʔaḷḷa ykhallīk ya ʿammo, yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye) "Reem: God keep you, uncle. Thank you."
1.16 ريم: صباح الخير يا عمو. 1.17 أبو سمير: صباح النور يا بنتي. 1.18 ريم: الخبز طازة اليوم؟ 1.19 أبو سمير: الخبز طالع هلق من الفرن. 1.20 ريم: قديش الربطة؟ 1.21 أبو سمير: الربطة بنفس السعر. 1.22 ريم: عطيني ربطتين من الخبز الأسمر. 1.23 أبو سمير: بدك كمان من المناقيش؟ 1.24 ريم: إيه، تنتين بالزعتر ووحدة بالكشك. 1.25 أبو سمير: المناقيش بدها عشر دقايق. 1.26 ريم: ماشي، بستنى هون عالكرسي. 1.27 أبو سمير: تفضلي، اشربي الشاي. 1.28 ريم: قديش الحساب؟ 1.29 أبو سمير: المناقيش علي اليوم. 1.30 ريم: الله يخليك يا عمو، يعطيك العافية.
Greetings with the article (1.16, 1.17). صباح الخير and صباح النور are possessive phrases of the old kind: "morning of the good," "morning of the light." The first noun has no article, the second has it, and the whole is definite. In النور the sun letter ن swallows the l: in-nūr.
Bread and prices (1.18–1.22). In Syria and Lebanon flat bread is sold by the ربطة (rabṭa), the "bundle," a bag of loaves tied together. قديش (ʔaddēš), "how much," asks a price. The thing priced is definite: قديش الربطة؟ "How much is the bundle?", where English says "a bundle." بنفس السعر (b-nafs is-siʿr), "at the same price," shows the article on the second noun of a possessive phrase, as in صباح الخير. الخبز الأسمر (il-khibz il-ʔasmar), "the brown bread," is a definite noun with a definite adjective: a phrase, not a sentence, while الخبز طازة (1.18) is a sentence, "the bread is fresh." طازة (ṭāza), a loanword from Persian through Turkish, does not change for gender.
اليوم, "today" (1.18, 1.29). Literally "the day," that is, this day. After a vowel it is heard l-yōm.
Manakish (1.23–1.25, 1.29). المناقيش (il-manāʔīš), the singular منقوشة (manʔūše), are the flat breads baked with thyme and oil, cheese or kishk that are the Levantine breakfast. The plural of things is treated as feminine singular, so المناقيش بدها, "the manakish need (literally: want) ten minutes," has the feminine ending -a on بد. بدك (baddek), "you want," is addressed to a woman.
Prepositions with the article (1.24, 1.26). بالزعتر (biz-zaʿtar), "with thyme," and بالكشك (bil-kišk), "with kishk": ب joins the article in writing, and the sun letter ز swallows the l, while the moon letter ك does not. عالكرسي (ʿal-kursi), "on the chair," is على fused with the article, as in 1.10.
After a vowel (1.18, 1.27, 1.29). اشربي الشاي is išrabi š-šāy: the i of the article drops after the final vowel of اشربي, and only the doubled sun letter is left. In the same way الخبز طازة اليوم ends ṭāza l-yōm.
Commands (1.22, 1.27). The baker speaks to a woman: تفضلي (tfaḍḍali), "please, here you are," and اشربي (išrabi), "drink," are feminine imperatives, ending in -i. عطيني (ʿṭīni), "give me," is the imperative with the ending -ni, "me"; Reem says it to a man, and a woman would hear the same form.
Formulas of thanks (1.30). الله يخليك (ʔaḷḷa ykhallīk), "God keep you," answers a kindness. يعطيك العافية (yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye), "may He give you strength," is said to anyone at work and serves as thanks; the reply is الله يعافيك (ʔaḷḷa yʿāfīk), "God give you strength." الله (ʔaḷḷa), "God," is itself an old form with the article: its double l is the l of the article meeting the l of the word.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
ال (il-) — IPA: /il/ — The vowel is a short i, as in "bit." After a vowel it disappears: اشربي الشاي /ˈʔiʃrabi ʃˈʃaːj/. Some Beirutis drop it at the start of a sentence too: /lbeːt/. الشمس (iš-šams) — IPA: /iʃˈʃams/ — The sun letter is held twice as long as a single sh: "ish-SHAMS," not "il-SHAMS." الدكانة (id-dikkāne) — IPA: /iddikˈkaːne/ — A long d, and a long k in the middle of the word. الرجال (ir-rijjāl) — IPA: /irriʒˈʒaːl/ (Syria, Lebanon) or /irrid͡ʒˈd͡ʒaːl/ (Jordan, Palestine) — The doubled r is trilled. ج is pronounced /ʒ/, like the s of "pleasure," in Syria and Lebanon, and /d͡ʒ/, like the j of "jam," in much of Jordan and Palestine. البيت (il-bēt) — IPA: /ilˈbeːt/ — ē is a long, pure e, as in French été, with no glide into "ee." The same vowel is in الخير (il-khēr). اليوم (il-yōm) — IPA: /ilˈjoːm/ — ō is a long, pure o, as in French eau. القهوة (il-ʔahwe) — IPA: /ilˈʔahwe/ — The urban ق is a glottal stop, the catch in the throat in the middle of "uh-oh." The h is breathed out clearly. الحليب (il-ḥalīb) — IPA: /ilħaˈliːb/ — ح is a strong, whispered h from the throat, as if breathing on glasses to clean them. الخبز (il-khibz) — IPA: /ilˈxibz/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach." العين (il-ʿēn) — IPA: /ilˈʕeːn/ — ع is made by squeezing the throat; it is a consonant, not a vowel, and must not be dropped. الصبح (iṣ-ṣubḥ) — IPA: /isˤˈsˤubħ/ — ص is an "emphatic" s: the tongue is drawn back and the vowels around it darken. The same holds for ض ḍ (/dˤ/) and ط ṭ (/tˤ/): الربطة (ir-rabṭa) /irˈrabtˤa/, طازة (ṭāza) /ˈtˤaːza/. الليل (il-lēl) — IPA: /ilˈleːl/ — Two written lams, one long l. الله (ʔaḷḷa) — IPA: /ʔaɫˈɫa/ — Almost the only word in which l is "dark," pronounced with the back of the tongue raised, as in English "full." Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo, ay, oh in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones, and length can change meaning. Stress usually falls on a long vowel or on the syllable before the last.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)